About

On October 1, 2015, the park will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of Yosemite National Park. President Benjamin Harrison signed the legislation, thereby creating the nation’s third National Park. The establishment of Yosemite National Park preserved over 1,500 square miles of land including Tuolumne Meadows, the park’s high country, Hetch Hetchy and lands surrounding Yosemite Valley.

The creation of Yosemite National Park added protected land to the existing Yosemite Grant Act of 1864. This landmark law protected Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and was managed by the State of California. Preservation of these lands is generally regarded as the birth of the national park idea. The creation of the park and the Yosemite Grant collectively preserved most of Yosemite National Park as it is known today.

The celebrated conservationist John Muir played an important role in advocating the protection of the vast high-elevation meadows, rivers, majestic mountains, and deep valleys that make up the heart of the High Sierra. Muir was also instrumental in influencing President Theodore Roosevelt to recede the Yosemite Grant lands to the federal government in June 1906. The National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, was established on August 25, 1916 to manage all National Park sites across the country, including the crown jewel, Yosemite National Park.

Our team consists of 85 volunteers, all of our park partners, California State Parks, and National Park Service staff. We have a mosaic of backgrounds and interests — with Yosemite at our core.

In early 2011, Yosemite’s partners collaborated to define how we could collectively honor Yosemite’s rich history. Since this was the first major project in which all park partners were at the table for, our community-partnership Anniversary Program pulled from existing and relevant park documents to identify guiding principles. In addition, acknowledging that we would need to be a networked organization, we identified our mission alignment.

Stewardship of natural, historic, and cultural resources and heritage.

Conservation for future generations.

Our Partners

California State Parks

California State Parks and the National Park Service are commemorating their joint heritage at Yosemite. The State of California owned and managed Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove as state parks from 1864 until these areas were returned to the Federal Government in 1906, to become part of the larger Yosemite National Park, established in 1890. Learn about CA State Parks 150th anniversary commemoration: http://www.150.parks.ca.gov/

California State Parks commemorates the 1864 establishment of the first state park in the world. On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill granting 39,000 acres of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the State of California. Never before had land been set aside to protect its natural state for the public to enjoy. This historic legislation was the beginning of not only the California State Park System, but the national park idea we know today.

Yosemite Conservancy

Through the support of donors, Yosemite Conservancy provides grants and support to Yosemite National Park to help preserve and protect Yosemite today and for future generations. The work funded by Yosemite Conservancy is visible throughout the park, from trail rehabilitation to wildlife protection and habitat restoration. The Conservancy is dedicated to enhancing the visitor experience and providing a deeper connection to the park through outdoor programs, volunteering and wilderness services. Thanks to dedicated supporters, the Conservancy has provided more than $75 million in grants to Yosemite National Park. Learn more at yosemiteconservancy.org or call 1-800-469-7275.

90 years of philanthropic experience in Yosemite National Park

More than 39,000 supporters

Provided more than $10.8 million annual support to Yosemite

NatureBridge

NatureBridge is dedicated to providing educational adventures in nature’s classroom to inspire a personal connection to the natural world and responsible actions to sustain it.

The Ansel Adams Gallery

From its origin in 1902 in a tent in the California wilderness, Best’s Studio dba The Ansel Adams Gallery, has evolved into a center that celebrates the arts and the natural grandeur of our environment.

Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts

Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts (DNC) is proud to provide visitor services in Yosemite National Park with a mission of Providin Stewardship and Hospitality in Special Places.

Yosemite Gateway Partners

Yosemite Gateway Partners is composed of citizens, communities and organizations throughout the greater Yosemite region that acknowledge their mutual interdependence, and collaborate with each other to create sustainable area-wide cultural, natural, and economic prosperity.

Thank you to Ryan Alonzo Photography for providing all of the website images of Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite’s High Sierra. www.ryanalonzophotography.com